A Royal Court of Savages
by Contrary-Miss-Mary
Summary: When an airplane fleeing the destruction of WWI Britain takes an unexpected stop on a deserted island, a court of youths have to protect themselves from their inner demons. An alternate look at Lord of the Flies, explore the classic tale of a gradual departure from humanity through the eyes of eight new characters: the female survivors.
1. Catherine

**Disclaimer: Lord of the Flies and all of its beautiful male characters do not belong to me, unfortunately. That being said, I thoroughly hope you enjoy the story and the new characters that do!**

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The mousy girl awoke drenched in the midday shadow of a stranger. She immediately felt her body tighten on the pink sand, fists sinking into the crystaline granules beneath her. When she dared to look up, the sun pierced her eyes, and she saw nothing but a blur, the wisp of a human being. The phantom continued to peer back at the her before a honeyed voice suddenly drifted downward.

"Did you have a nice kip, then?" it smiled. The mousy girl still couldn't make out a face, but the widened vowels painted a pleasant grin in her mind's eye. She pulled herself up and took her first glance around.

Everything looked as though it were a painting, like something she'd seen in a fairy book when she was small. A sparkling blue ocean stretched out towards a fading horizon line on her left side, shining and wide and deep. And, with a moment's turn, she was headfirst into a shadowy jungle, verdant, lush foliage inching thick creepers onto the warm coral beach.

She shifted her eyes back up to the figure, now clearly able to see that the shadow belonged to not one, but two. The girl who had spoken looked just as jovial as she imagined, a face that was all teeth and glistening eyes. Fair, wispy curls tumbled to her collarbone, and a smattering of freckles painted her cheeks, already crimson from the sun's singeing kiss.

A smaller girl clung to her arm, clenching the muscle so tightly her knuckles began to pale. The little one boasted the same wide eyes and thin waves as the elder, but her mouth drooped downward, scrunched into a sour pout.

"Well? Aren't you awake yet?" the grinner asked in a tone noticeably more exasperated than before.

The mousy girl took this impatience as a cue to rise, and so she did, steadily sweeping sand from her school pinafore as she stood. She turned turned to look back at the grinner and her sour companion, only to see they had already begun their departure.

She hurried after them, hastily calling, "Oh, do wait up!" The grinner threw a glance over her shoulder with a short, bubbly laugh.

"You shouldn't have been so slow. You'll really have to hustle now!"

The mousy girl flared her nostrils with an exasperated huff and hurriedly sped forward. Soon she was beside the grinner, shuffling hurriedly to stay in step.

"I'm Lois," the cheery girl nodded, not bothering to fully turn around, "and this little leech is Marie." She fondly patted the crown of the sullen child's head. The mousy girl smiled softly before bashfully replying.

"My name's Catherine. Have you... have you seen any of the others?"

Lois made a face and shot a sidelong glance to Catherine. By the dimming of her eyes, it was evident that her answer was undoubtedly a 'no'. The three continued down the beach,

without word. Catherine began to wonder if she had said something wrong when a small, sorrowful voice cut through her thoughts.

"There isn't anybody to find. The storm got 'em. We're gonna be all alone forever," little Marie said, with a frown. Catherine was taken aback by the girl's ominous prediction. Marie couldn't have been more than eight years, yet here she was, talking as though she was already done for. Her matter of fact tone sent a chill down Catherine's spine, although the tropical air wafting around her was warm as a bath.

Lois appeared not to be bothered by her sister's dismal prophecy however, and with a renewed smile, turned to Catheine excitedly. "Even if we are alone, we were certainly lucky to land on such a pretty island. What adventures we'll have! I've never been on an adventure before, have you?"

"No," Catherine admitted.

"Then we're in for such fun!" Lois beamed, before scolding Marie lightly. "And you! You really oughtn't be so dismal. I'm sure all the other boys and girls are here too, and the grown-ups only wanted to drop us off before we arrived at our new school. This must just be a rest stop." Her grin was so bright and self-assured that Catherine was bathed in a feeling of confidence as well. Of course it was a rest stop! It seemed perfectly reasonable. The adults simply didn't want to fly in the storm, that's all. Still, a shiver of doubt tickled the back of her mind, try as she might to expell it.

The older girls partook in bubbly chatter as they continued their sliw walk, exchanging all the personal trivia they could think of. Yes, Marie and Lois were sisters. No, Catherine did not know anyone else who had been on the plane. Lois was pleased to find that Catherine was fourteen as well, and Catherine was pleased to find that Lois also planned to join the girls' choir at their new school. In half a mile, two girls were rosy-cheeked and nearly friends, and even their sour junior wore a milder expression.

The cry caught Catherine mid-giggle and forced her to halt in her sandy tracks. She shook her head firmly, wondering if she had only imagined it. But oh! Again it rang out, this time so full and strong that an army of startled yellow and red birds flew from the boughs of nearby palms. The low, steady note pierced through the afternoon silence. It seemed to be sounding from a distance only a short while ahead of them. Like moths to a candle, the three girls were drawn to the deep call, silently making their way to the sound.

Over dunes and dunes of sand they marched, determined to discover the source of the call, until Marie suddenly let out a excited yelp. Catherine and Lois followed her quivering glance and soon saw an assembly of children gathered upon various logs, beneath a patch of leafy palms. The gathering of girls and boys sat smiling and quiet as more and more continued to add to the great number.

Above them all, perched sturdily on a large boulder was the source of their call: a shining boy blowing deeply into a shining shell. Caterine gazed at him in a daze as Lois ushered her to a plump, bespectacled boy dutifully taking names.

The trio sat in eager silence as the beautiful boy continued to call with his beautiful shell, a welcoming beacon for children all across the island.

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**A/N: Hiya! I hope you enjoyed the opening chapter of my newest literary endeavor! I recently decided that after months of avidly reading LotFfanfics, it was finally time to add my own contribution to the fandom: and in the infamous form of a girl on the island fic, no less. You there, hold in the exasperated sigh! I know it's really overdone, but my aim with this tale is not to create another army of self inserts, but a cast of colorful and hopefully honest females to participate with our beloved boys. **

**As you may have noticed, the girls in this story experience a bit of a wider age range than in the original novel. I aged up the whole cast for this fic, just in case romance does bloom on the island (please notice that I said 'in case'. There may or may not be lovin' in this story, depending on the character and whether or not the lot of us are feeling the sparks). That being said, assume all of the biguns are in the 13-15 range, while the littluns remain a bit younger, with Percival and Jonny still closing off the bottom at six.**

**Anyway, I hope you read, review (constructive criticism and pleasant comments are totes appreciated) and enjoy!**


	2. Emily

**Disclaimer: Ralphie, Piggy-Pigster and the other boy schnoodle doodles in this chapter are the brain children of a certain William Golding, but little Emily is mine :)**

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The fat boy went down the line of children, huffing as he diligently attempted to gather the names of each girl and boy as they arrived under the palm shaded triangle. No one paid him much mind, save one girl, who traced his path with steady eyes. How funny, she thought, the effort he put in to learn their names, while never proffering his own. And how funny, that he would continue to yell them up to the attractive, fair haired boy, who obviously seemed to be in a world of his own.

The fat boy stood before her now. "What's yer name?" he asked, as he had nearly a dozen times before.

"Emily," she said softly, and the fat boy shouted up to the fair once more. As he moved to ask the next person, she felt almost compelled to ask his name in return. She stubbornly bit down the urge, and watched him to continue his struggle down the line.

Emily would be lying if she said she cared what the fat boy's name was, and her mum always taught her never to lie. Had it been a formal situation, she would have complied begrudgingly, but here...

The fat boy had an odd way about him, one that spoke of uptmost intelligence, or very nearly that. One most certainly underappreciated by other boys of his age. One rather underappreciated by Emily herself.

But he seemed to had a connection with the fair boy, albeit one she certainly could not comprehead. The fair boy was a leader, judging by his easy smile and confident stance, and almost seemed oblivious to the fact that the fat one had taken a fancy to him. But she senses the friendship, be it one-sided or not.

For a fleeting moment, she wondered whether she should have made the simple step of friendliness that only comes in exchanging names. But she felt sound in her decision, and made up her mind that if she was to befriend anyone, it would be someone like the fair boy, not his name-loving follower.

Already bored with the pudgy boy, Emily took a chance to observe what she could of the strange, tropical wonderland. It was certainly a picturesque island, if it was an island at all. Beauty seeped out from every tree, bird, and grain of sand. However, despite its good looks, something menaing stirred within Emily's mind, the silvery jingle of a warning bell. She couldn't explain the anxiety and forced it away, away, away to the darkest corner of her subconscious.

A dark shadow had crept over the sand, notable enough now as to fully capture Emily's attention. It had started as a speckle of black, but seemed to grow wider and closer every moment she blinked, a stalking midday phantom. As the dim blotch drew nearer and nearer, she was quickly able to make out a shock of red among the darkness, then a pale, freckled cheek, and suddenly the sea of silent, cool faces on an army of marching boys.

They looked a fright, sweat-sodden hair sticking wetly to their brows as a dozen deep black cloaks billowed ominously about. Their apparent leader was a lanky freckled boy with piercing red hair and a heavy scowl. He looked as though he were someone who knew exactly what he wanted and exactly how to get it.

Emily was suddenly aware that the blaring conch had fallen silent, and at a glance, realized that the golden boy was now seated with the rest of the assembly, the creamy shell softly resting on the cap of his knee.

He spoke an incredible mildness as the cloaked boy, this Merridew, fired off a flood of frustrated words. Without warning, one of the boys standing behind him slipped heavily into the sand, apparently faint from the stifling combination of heat and heavy apparel. The leader released a defeated huff, and allowed his group to break and heave the unconscious member onto a nearby log.

As they settled into the group, Emily wondered if they ever chanced to notice the curious girl intently watching their every move.

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**Thanks for the read! Sorry if it's starting out a little slow, I just wanted an opportunity to introduce some of the girls before delving into the serious plot. If you enjoyed, please, please continue to read and review!**

**Catchya!**


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